Modern hearing aids comprise an ear mold having therein the necessary electronics for amplifying and otherwise conditioning sound to compensate for a user's hearing loss. Such electronics generally include a microphone for receiving the sound and converting the sound to an electrical signal, an electronic circuit for amplifying and processing the signal produced by the microphone, a speaker, also known as a receiver, for converting the processed signals into sound energy and a battery for providing operational power to the hearing aid. The ear mold can be generally made of plastic, and is specially designed and molded to fill the ear of the person who is to use the hearing aid. Generally, the ear mold is made of a hard plastic so as to have a long life and so that it can be periodically cleaned. The electronics of the signal processing circuitry are typically adjusted to meet its users specific hearing requirements. These requirements are obtained by first testing the user's hearing and then designing a circuit having a frequency response characteristic that compensates for any hearing loss discovered in the test. After the desired circuit is determined from the tests, it may be finally adjusted by a hearing aid specialist to meet the final requirements of the party. All of the above features including the structure, the method of making and the method of adjusting the hearing aid can make the hearing aid relatively expensive.
Conventionally, hearing aids have a battery that must be replaced periodically as the battery size is small and provides a limited lifetime of operation. Hearing aid users frequently complain about the difficulty in replacing batteries. Having a hearing aid that does not require battery replacement, or replacement at fewer time intervals, would be advantageous to these users.
Presently, the process of manufacturing hearing aids is time consuming and adds to the expense of the hearing aids. For example, assemblers place the hearing aid components within a shell and solder the components together. The shell is then typically solvent sealed to secure the components within the hearing aid. During the sealing process, the assembler holds the two shell portions together after applying the solvent to ensure proper adhesion of the shell. These steps lengthen the process of forming a hearing aid.